We Bury The Dead
by generalquistis
Summary: The past is long gone. This is the present. All dead things should be buried; so are dead memories. Tifa meets four strangers and travels with them as they search for the meaning of happiness from their purpose in life.
1. Tifa

We Bury The Dead

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story plot. Any resemblance to any other plot is purely coincidental.

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-One: Tifa-

            We bury the dead, not throw them into lakes and let them drown there.

Wait a minute… dead people do not drown! They are already dead to begin with!

Duh.

            Again, we bury the dead, not throw them into lakes and let them drown there… or let them rot under rubbles of a ruined edifice.

We bury the dead.

That is the usual thing that we would do.

Bury the dead.

But are the dead the only people we bury?

They say that from dust we came and from dust we shall return… so… 

SO WHAT?!

Okay, this is already beginning to sound annoying, but it all started to confuse me when I decided to go back to Midgar to search for my friends because they said that if ever we all part ways, we could all meet there again…

So you might think that Midgar's another big rubble just like what you might have witnessed? Not exactly. You see, without ShinRa around, things have gotten… somewhat worse. No government to run the whole city. Expect more crimes.

It's a big crime scene in there, that's why upon arriving there, I immediately wanted to leave. 

Maniacs.

Rapists.

Gangsters.

Robbers.

Every single kind of criminal you could think of and name, you can already find in the slummy city of Midgar. And walking the streets of Midgar without any gear for self-defense can kill you.

I was thinking to myself, "Why the hell would they be going back here to Midgar and meet me here? Why not in Kalm?"

Where was I all those times that I wasn't around in Midgar?

I was back in Nibelheim starting a new life. A new life without Cloud (but then I'm supposed to meet him), a new life without ShinRa… blah blah blah. I could go on for others.

It had been two years from the time when I was twenty years old and I participated in one of the biggest battles to be ever recorded in history. Versus Sephiroth.

After that horrible battle, we all went our separate ways. I don't know where Cloud and the others went to, but the only one I was sure of was Vincent Valentine. He was just in the ShinRa Mansion.

Maybe Yuffie went back to Wutai. Maybe Barret went back to Corel with Marlene or maybe he just roamed around and settled in one place. Maybe Cid went back to Rocket Town. Maybe, maybe, maybe. I'm not sure.

            Okay, I'm drifting off now… where was I… oh yeah! Midgar.

Since upon arriving there, there were maniacs roaming around and would like a piece of me, I just ran off from them until I lost my way and everything seemed so different already, I realized. I couldn't even distinguish Sector 7 from Sector 1 anymore! So because of confusion, I just decided to stay in one place and hope that an acquaintance or two would come along and pass by and we'll finally meet and leave this place.

I waited for more than thirty minutes for a while and then got bored, so I roamed around the area. Some folks were gossiping about their so-called "gang" leader and how ruthless and bossy he is. I just snorted and left… and lo and behold, in all its glory, this big fat badinsky just arrived out of nowhere and started to harass me. Disgusted, I fought him, but then a bunch of other fat ugly guys came. 

Gangsters.

Suddenly, everyone was gone but me and those gangsters.

How the hell do I fight those fat bastards in one blow? And I wasn't in the mood for fighting.

Then, just from out of nowhere, there was another group of… I don't know how to describe them… but they were four.

A tall guy with familiar green eyes and silver hair tied in a loose ponytail just like mine.

Another guy almost as tall as the man with green eyes… this time with blonde hair.

A girl an inch shorter than me with long wavy mahogany hair and green eyes… oh and did I mention she's got a flower ornament on the top right side of her head? Like it's a clip or something. Whatever.

And then a woman with brown hair in a high ponytail… and green eyes. 

What's with those green eyes anyway? I would even think that they're related… except for the blonde guy. He has blue eyes… just like Cloud.

The tall guy with silver hair and the girl with the flower on her hair started attacking the fat guys. The other two just stood in one corner and watched… but the one with blonde hair grabbed a shotgun and since he was really impatient, he just killed the gangsters even before the silver-haired guy and the girl with the flower on her hair could do so with their own weapons: a sword and a long rod respectively.

"You alright?" the silver-haired man asked, turning to me.

I nodded uneasily; just looking at him reminds me so much of Sephiroth…and you know how much I _despise_ that guy.

"You shouldn't be in a place like this, miss. It's very dangerous for girls like you… especially since you're wearing _that." The blonde guy pointed out with a cold look on his face before flipping his hair._

"What?" I immediately snapped at him. He's just so… so… despicable.

The woman with the high ponytail approached me and smiled gently. "Are you alright?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah… I'm fine. Thank you," I told her gratefully.

"I think you'd better leave now." She told me.

"I… I wish I could, but I'm waiting for someone," I told her.

"Who are you waiting for?" the girl with the flower on her hair asked me with a gentle look on her face as she approached me.

To tell you the truth, she looks so familiar to me… like I have seen her before… and met her before… but I'm not sure when.

I smiled at them. "I'm waiting for my friends." And an idea came into my head.

"Well who are they? Maybe we know them and we can take you to them." She told me.

"Cloud, Barret, Yuffie…" I trailed off when I noticed the stares that they were giving me.

The look in their eyes made me realize that I am talking to strangers and that they do not really know those people.

The one with silver hair somewhat snorted upon hearing the names… same with the blonde guy… and the woman with the high ponytail apprehended the silver-haired guy, saying, "Seth!"

The silver-haired man smiled at the woman and said, "Sorry, mom."

"What? You're his mom?" I asked mindlessly, turning to the woman. She doesn't really look like a mother.

"Long story, dear." The woman said simply with a sad smile on her face.

I just nodded my head before bowing down my head, not knowing what to do anymore… and she spoke up again, "You can call me Crecia. What's your name?"

I looked up at her and she had this gentle smile on her face. I smiled shyly at her. "Tifa." I replied.

"I'm Eris." The girl with the flower on her hair introduced happily as she took my hand gleefully and embraced me tightly. A friendly hug from a stranger whom I had just gotten acquainted with.

Crecia turned to her son. "That's my one and only son, Seth… and…" she turned to the blonde guy who was staring at me with a cold look on his face, but before she could say his name, he spoke up, "Red."

Silence.

I was wondering why he's called "Red"… there are no traces of red in him. I mean, his hair's blonde. He's got blue eyes. He's got fair, smooth and flawless skin like that of the elites… he's wearing a black long-sleeved turtleneck sweater and black pants and brown combat boots.

"Nice to meet you, Tifa." He told me so that he could make me snap out of my trance. He must've noticed that I was staring back at him.

I blushed and looked away.

Then there were explosions.

"Shit," Seth cursed before he started to run away.

"Let's go!" Crecia and Eris followed after him.

Red pushed me ahead of him so that I would run too, but I hesitated. "But… I…" I wanted to say that I was supposed to just stay in one place.

"Just go!"

Fine, he sounded so stern and so I ended up following him. It was like a command.

We all continued to run. The explosions seem to be coming from everywhere.

"What's going on?!" I demanded in panic.

"It happens all the time. There are bomb maniacs around here and because of that, more than a hundred people get killed!" Seth explained.

"What?! H…how can you take living in a place like this?" I asked them.

"We just passed by and stayed for a few days. We're roaming around looking for some people." Crecia explained.

And I realized that from the moment that we got out of Midgar safely and knew that I wouldn't be seeing Cloud and the others for quite some time, I would be stuck with these four strangers…


	2. Looking Back

-Two: Looking Back-

            Finally, they were far from Midgar. The moment that they were already twenty meters away from the chaotic city, a very strong explosion occurred, and from where they are, the ground shook and even caused them to go off-balance for a few moments.

Tifa held on to Red's arm for support but he just stared down coldly at her.

"Oh no…I hope Cloud and the others are not there…" she said out loud with a worried look on her face.

Seth just stared at the smoke coming from Midgar before turning to Tifa. "Why are you waiting for them anyway?" he asked.

"Because they just asked me to… they said that we are going to go on a quest to find… to find an old friend… or at least that's what Cloud's letter had said to me and Vincent way back in Nibelheim," she explained with a hesitant look on her face, not knowing whether she should really trust those four strangers.

Crecia's eyes widened upon hearing the name _Vincent_… at least for some reason. Tifa noticed it and so she asked, "Anything wrong, Miss Crecia?"

"Well… I… nothing." Crecia replied with a sad look on her face.

Tifa did not notice that she was still holding on to Red until he pulled his arm away from her with a cold look on his face. She blushed slightly as she smiled sheepishly at him. "Oh… sorry," and turned back to Midgar again. She took a few steps towards the direction going to it, but Eris stopped her by touching her shoulder. "No. You mustn't. It's too dangerous." She said.

Tifa turned back to Eris. "Why?" she asked.

"What she means is that it's too dangerous for you to go back in there. Midgar is not a City for young women your age." Crecia pointed out.

"But I can defend myself," Tifa reasoned out.

"It's not whether you can defend yourself or not. It's about fulfilling your task. If you go there and you cannot complete your task because of an accident, then you will become a wanderer forever… just like us." Seth pointed out with a serious look on his face.

Tifa could not really understand what that meant. "So you're really wanderers?" she asked mindlessly with a stiff tone.

"You could put it that way if your mind still cannot comprehend it." Red told her with a rather arrogant manner of speaking as he raked his fingers through his hair and turned away from her.

Tifa frowned at him. "Are you trying to tell me that I'm stupid?" she demanded.

Red smiled slyly before he turned back to her. "You're the one who supposed that." He told her.

"Don't start, Red," Eris warned.

"I am just defending my side." Red replied before he motioned for them to keep on moving. "Let's go. We can't stay in this place for too long. We have to reach the next town from here." He told them.

"Where are we heading for anyway?" Seth asked him.

"I don't know." Red replied mindlessly.

Seth followed after him, same with Crecia.

Tifa just stared unbelievably at Red. "Who the hell does he think he is?" she thought out loud.

"Just bear with him. He's got problems of his own… we all do, right?" Eris asked gently with a wink as she took Tifa's hand and led the way. "You were saying that you are going to meet a person named Cloud?" she asked.

Tifa was surprised by the question, but she nodded anyway.

Eris smiled. "Is he a boyfriend?" she asked.

Tifa's eyes widened because of the question. "No!" she replied as she shook her head frantically in disagreement.

"But he became your boyfriend?" Eris asked.

"No, of course not." Tifa replied.

"Why not?"

"Because he doesn't love me." Tifa replied simply with a calm smile on her face. Finally, she realized that she had really accepted the fact that Cloud isn't really for her but for someone else… someone else like Aerith…

If only she is here now, she would tell her how Cloud loves her very much and that she should come back to him.

But she's dead.

"That's so sad," Eris said with a disappointed look on her face.

"No, it isn't." Tifa pointed out. Eris looked up at her with a perplexed expression on her face. Tifa smiled gently. "Cloud loves somebody else. I think he deserves her more than he deserves me. Besides, he's only just a friend even from the start." She said.

"Oh? Who is she?" Eris asked.

"I wish I could refer to her as _my best friend… she died two years ago. Some guy named Sephiroth killed her." Tifa replied with a frustrated look on her face._

Crecia and Seth both looked back at Eris and Tifa upon hearing the name _Sephiroth__._

Crecia just shrugged and looked ahead again, but Seth smiled slightly before he turned back to Red.

"She said _Sephiroth." Seth told him._

"I know. I'm not deaf." Red muttered with a glum look on his face.

"Oh yeah… I've heard about Sephiroth…" Eris pointed out to Tifa.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Tifa muttered.

They all fell silent.

"So, Tifa, where are you from again?" Crecia asked.

"I'm actually from Nibelheim. I was born and raised there… but then I had to go to Midgar before because my hometown had supposedly… burned down… it's hard to explain… and besides, I became an orphan at age 15 because my father died." Tifa explained.

"Oh my… how did he die?" Crecia asked with a concerned tone as she joined Tifa and Eris.

"He was… killed. In one of the Mako Reactors of ShinRa." Tifa explained with a weak smile on her face.

Red's gaze drifted to his side, where he could see Tifa from his peripheral vision walking just behind him.

They all fell silent. Tifa thought that they must have not been able to understand what she had mentioned, so she just said, "I'm sure you've all heard about ShinRa, right? It's a very famous Electric Power Company owned by a very rich family…"

"Yes, we all know ShinRa." Red cut her off.

"Yeah, and you even sound like you came from them too," Tifa wanted to say out loud, but she just shut up so that she wouldn't start a fight with them. "Hang on in there, Tifa. Don't lose your patience with this guy… he's not worth your time. If I start a fight with any of them, I will only make myself miserable. Besides, I must be thankful that I have companions now! Now if only I could find a way to send a message to Cloud and the others to let them know that I'm okay… but how?" she was scolding herself silently until she realized that they had finally reached the next town.

Kalm.

"Where are we going to stay here?" Crecia asked.

"We could rent rooms in an inn or something." Seth suggested.

"Inns are too expensive," Eris remarked with a frown on her face.

"Not to worry. I can handle it." Red told them with a reassuring tone as he walked towards an inn.

"Again?" Eris asked in disbelief.

"It's one of my reasons for breathing: spending." Red told them in a joking manner with a wink.

"Oh so that's why he said that he knows ShinRa… he's rich. And that explains his arrogance too," Tifa realized silently as she stared in awe at him.

They all followed after Red to the inn. Upon entering, there was basically no one in sight but the receptionist who was already beginning to fall asleep on his desk.

Red leaned against the desk and pounded on the table, meaning to wake up the sleepy receptionist. "GOOD EVENING, SIR!" Red greeted with a loud voice and a silly smile on his face, surprising the receptionist and also causing him to fall off from his seat.

The receptionist got up quickly while rubbing his hip. "Oh… heheheh… sorry. Good evening, sirs and ma'ams… heheheh…" he said sheepishly.

"Two rooms please." Red told him.

"Oh… okay…" the receptionist said before getting the keys. "100 Gil per room… that's 200." He pointed out.

Red brought out his wallet and grabbed a credit card. Tifa took a quick glimpse at the card, but wasn't able to really read the name fully… but she saw that his first name was two letters longer than his name being used to refer to him. "Oh well, maybe _Red is just a nickname…" she thought silently._

The receptionist did not look at the card anymore; he just swiped it through the credit card machine and handed it back to Red together with the keys. "Second floor. Rooms 201 and 203. To the left from the stairs." He told him.

Red nodded his head in gratitude as he took the keys and handed one of those to Crecia. "Seth and I will stay together." He told her.

"That'd be fine. Besides, you wouldn't want to scare our new companion here, right?" Crecia joked, referring to Tifa.

Tifa raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.

"Very funny," Red told her as Seth laughed before heading upstairs.

"Let's go?" Crecia asked, turning to Eris and Tifa.

Eris nodded happily but Tifa hesitated for a while.

Crecia smiled kindly at Tifa and took her hand. "Let's go. You can't just leave us. Be thankful that at least you have a place to stay and a few people to keep you company." She told her reassuringly, as if able to read Tifa's mind.

"I… I don't understand…" Tifa began, surprised at what Crecia had told her.

"I've been alive for a long time… but I just stayed in one place for too long without anyone I love beside me. Life can be so cruel and I've been a victim already. Let's just start a good friendship with one another, shall we? So that even if we all go on our separate ways, we can all have good memories." Crecia pointed out.

Tifa stared at her unbelievably as she nodded her head in agreement; but honestly, she still could not understand what the woman was saying. With that, they went upstairs to their room.


	3. The Man Whom She Really Loved

-Three: The Man Whom She Really Loved-

Tifa had been wondering why sometimes, the four would usually just be silent and would refuse to speak. Mostly, she would be the one talking…

They would be asking her some questions and she would answer, but whenever she starts asking them questions, they would either answer with a very vague group of ambiguous sentences put together or simply smile at her.

"This is so unfair. I try to answer their questions as honestly as possible, but they're really confusing me…" she thought silently as she lay in bed that night.

She also noticed that three of them would almost always have dull expressions in their eyes… Red, Crecia and Eris. In Eris's case, she would always be smiling, but there is still a certain sadness seen within her green eyes… like she had lost a very important love of her life.

Same with Crecia. Sometimes, Tifa would catch her looking outside the window and gazing blankly into empty space with a sad look on her face.

Seth was the one with a quite pleased look in his eyes; while Red's blue eyes would almost always seem to avoid Tifa's gaze whenever she would look at him.

Tifa sighed heavily, but she was surprised when Crecia suddenly spoke up. "You're still awake?"

Tifa hesitated for a while, knowing that it's late and she should be asleep already… but she replied anyway, "Yes. I can't sleep." She said as she sat up, realizing that Crecia was standing by the window and looking up at the stars. "Anything wrong, Crecia?" she asked.

The woman just leaned against the window pane.

Tifa got out of bed and approached her, careful not to wake up Eris. The moment she reached Crecia, the woman spoke up with a solemn tone. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Tifa was surprised by the question. "Uh… yeah." She said simply.

Crecia looked down with a sad look on her face. Tifa forced a smile at her, "You really look so young. I can't believe that you have a son like Seth… How old are you anyway?" she asked.

"59." The woman replied simply.

Tifa's eyes widened in disbelief as she thought, silently, "She's like Vincent… they both look so young… and she's even his age…" 

"What about you? How old are you?" Crecia asked.

"22," Tifa replied.

"You're Red's age." Crecia pointed out.

Tifa frowned slightly. "Like I care…" she thought silently before changing the subject, "Where's your husband?" she asked.

Crecia frowned. "I don't have a husband." She said.

Tifa swallowed hard. "I see…" she said simply.

"Seth's father is a big bastard. He used the two of us selfishly for his experiments." Crecia explained.

"Experiments?" Tifa asked in disbelief.

"He was a scientist… but anyway, I think it was entirely my fault because I let him use me and my son. I was so crazy back then… so young and so naïve… I didn't know what I was doing. I did not even realize that I've hurt the feelings of the one whom I had truly loved back then…" she explained with a sad look on her face. She has a sad smile as she kept her eyes fixed on her own hands, looking at them and caressing them gently. "How come whenever you realize how much you love someone, it's already too late?" she asked.

Tifa looked up at the stars. She did not know whether she could relate to what Crecia is saying, but she just thought of it as another message to keep in her mind so that if ever it would happen to her, she would be aware of it already. "Life is just like that. It's cruel." Tifa simply told her.

Crecia looked up at the stars again, "Or maybe it's us humans that make it seem cruel because of the little things that we do to make ourselves suffer…" she thought out loud with tears in her eyes.

Tifa turned back to Crecia with a gentle smile on her face. "About this other man you really loved… who is he?" she asked gently.

Crecia thought for a while before replying, "I wish he was Seth's father… then Seth and I wouldn't be where we are right now." Tears fell from her eyes. She turned to Tifa. "He has the most beautiful crimson eyes I've ever seen… they're almost like blood if you stare at them for too long. And his hands… they're too gentle whenever they used to hold me. When he speaks, he sounds so true and poetic… his words seem to flow like a steady stream. We used to work together in this company… but unlike him, I was also a scientist." She explained with a dreamy look on her face.

Tifa was trying to imagine how he would look and act like. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "The only person I know with red eyes is my friend Vincent." She told Crecia.

Crecia's eyes widened upon hearing the name. She instantly got Tifa's hand and squeezed it. "Wha…what? His name is what?" she asked.

"V…Vincent," Tifa replied uneasily. She suddenly felt nervous.

Crecia's tears fell. "That's… that's my beloved's name…" she admitted with a trembling voice.

Unknown to them, Eris was awake and listening although she appears to be sleeping soundly on the bed. She smiled softly as she thought silently, "At last… you have found him…" 

Crecia had this desperate look in her eyes as she held Tifa's arms. "Vincent?" she asked with a sad smile on her face. 

Tifa smiled weakly. "I… uh… yeah… Vincent Valentine." She replied uneasily.

Crecia's mouth dropped open as she gasped and more tears fell from her eyes. She slowly let go of Tifa and started chuckling lightly, not caring if Tifa might be already thinking that she's insane. Crecia wiped her tears away and smiled happily at Tifa, but tears still continued to stream down from her eyes. "Oh my God… Tifa… I can't believe it… you know him… I'm so happy!" she embraced Tifa happily.

Tifa raised her eyebrow, feeling so confused. "I… I don't understand…" she stammered.

Crecia let go of her and clasped her hands together. "Tell me… where is he? Is he still here? I need to see him… I _have to see him…" she said frantically._

Tifa patted her shoulders. "Okay, okay, calm down… I'll tell you where he is… he's in the ShinRa Mansion in Nibelheim. Wh…why? What do you want with him?" she asked.

Crecia just smiled calmly at Tifa before she gave the girl a kiss on the cheek and the stroked her hair gently. "Bless you, child." She whispered softly before walking out of the room with a pleased smile on her face. Tifa was stunned. "Is she insane?" she thought silently.

Everything was really confusing her even as she fell asleep already…

To her surprise, the next day, Red and Eris told her that Seth and Crecia were gone.


	4. The Past Is Dead and Should Be Buried

-Four: The Past Is Dead and Should Be Buried-

            Red, Eris and Tifa continued to journey altogether. Tifa could not even understand why she is still with those two, while she could just walk off and go on her own back to Nibelheim… even thought it is such a long walk going there.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I really should leave the two of you now because I need to get back to Nibelheim because my friends could be worrying about me already." Tifa told them.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Eris and I are also heading for Nibelheim because that's where we are really supposed to go." Red told her with a mocking tone.

They all fell silent.

Eris giggled. "Well, we'd better hurry up! It's a long walk going there, we have to be quick." She said.

"Eris, be realistic; it's in the West Continent. We're still here in the East Continent!" Red reasoned out.

They stopped walking and faced one another.

"I know that. That's why we are heading for the Chocobo Farm so that we can borrow or buy some Chocobos and ride them going to the West Continent!" Eris pointed out with a smile on her face.

"What if they don't let us borrow or buy those Chocobos? Besides, do they even accept credit cards there?" Red asked.

"I don't think so." Tifa replied.

They all fell silent.

"Well I only have money enough for two Chocobos. You girls have to ride together… or maybe we'll just leave Tifa in one place." Red explained, turning to Tifa with a sly smile on his face.

"You asshole!" Tifa blurted out in annoyance before punching Red's stomach. "You're not just going to leave me in one place, Mister Red!" she snapped angrily at him while watching him crouch down in pain.

Eris had this shocked look on her face as she stared at the two. "Uhm… maybe Tifa and I can just ride together in one Chocobo…" she just suggested with a weak smile on her face.

Red slowly straightened up again, clutching his stomach with a look of pain on his face. "Ow… shit… yeah, whatever…" he pointed an accusing finger at Tifa. "You… shall pay for this, Lockheart." He sneered.

"Ooh, I'm so scared of you!" Tifa said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes and made a face.

"Stop it, you two. Let's just hurry up!" Eris said before she went ahead of them.

Red was still trying to get over the pain, and Tifa easily noticed it. Somehow, she felt sorry for him and she felt ashamed that she had to rely on her reflexes to punch people whenever they insult her. She bit her lower lip as she approached Red and placed her arm around his waist and got hold of his hand that was holding his own stomach. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry…" she apologized with a weak smile on her face.

Red turned his gaze to her. At first he wanted to say something mean to her, but he stopped himself upon realizing that Tifa isn't really that bad. She may act feisty but she is still kind. He just smiled gently at her. "It's okay. It's my fault. I shouldn't have said that," he admitted with a guilty look in his eyes.

Tifa chuckled lightly.

He frowned at her. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"You know, I thought that you're so self-absorbed and wouldn't admit your mistake. Or maybe I just stereotyped you because you resemble so much of Rufus ShinRa. He's one of the coldest people I've ever seen." She told him as she helped him walk. He held on to her.

His eyes widened upon hearing that, but he just tried to keep his cool. He did not say anything more, even though she thought that he would react or comment further on what she had said. Somehow, she wanted to keep the conversation going between the two of them… because she realized that she suddenly became interested in him.

She smiled gently at him. "So, where are you from?" she asked.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Your hometown." She elaborated.

"I was born in Nibelheim." He replied.

"Really? I was born there too!" she told him excitedly.

Red did not say anything.

She swallowed hard. "Is he really this quiet?" she thought silently before continuing to speak, "So, what's your real name? I reckon Red's just an alias, huh?" she asked.

"It wouldn't be necessary because we are just going to part ways sooner or later and I'll become a stranger to you again and in time, you will be forgetting that there existed a man once in your life with a weird alias." He said seriously as he stared straight ahead, wanting to avoid how she would look at him because he is afraid that if she looks into his eyes, she could know who he really is and be afraid of him… that's the last thing he would want to happen at that moment.

He had to admit that there is a feeling from deep inside of him that told himself that he is feeling a strong attraction to the girl, but he would be telling himself to just ignore it because he still has better things to do than to fall in-love with a stranger.

Tifa just kept quiet. Red withdrew from her and just walked on his own.

Eris could see them through her peripheral vision and she had been smiling all the time that the two were together. The moment she saw that Red and Tifa were already catching up with her, she just turned her gaze up to the clouds up above her. Her smile widened as she stared at the clouds. "Wait for me… I'll be with you again…" she whispered softly against the wind.

***

            "You were saying?" Vincent repeated.

It had been a month ever since when Cloud, Barret, Yuffie, Tifa and Cid were supposed to meet in Midgar.

Cloud had blanked out once again, his blue eyes just staring into empty space. "Aerith," he thought silently as the wind blew against his face.

Yuffie smacked Cloud's shoulder. "HEY! STOP BLANKING OUT!" she shouted at him playfully.

Cloud snapped out of his trance. "Oh… sorry…" he apologized with a disturbed look on his face before turning back to Vincent.

"You were saying?" Vincent repeated calmly.

Cloud thought for a while before replying, "Oh… Barret and Cid weren't able to make it to Midgar because they had to do some chores for their homes… Yuffie and I arrived there at the same time. I came from Junon and then she came from Wutai. We thought that we would be seeing Tifa there already, but when we arrived there, some informed us that she went with four people when explosions occurred again,"

"Explosions?" Vincent asked in surprise.

"It's hell back there in Midgar! Somehow, I miss ShinRa coz you know, at least Midgar had lesser crimes before it got destroyed," Yuffie pointed out with a frown on her face.

"With or without ShinRa, Midgar's been like that. It just worsened." Cloud reminded her.

"Do you know who those four people are?" Vincent asked, interrupting Yuffie and Cloud's little argument.

Cloud shook his head. "I did not even see them." He replied.

"OH MY GAWD!!! What if those people are evil and they kidnapped Tifa or something?!" Yuffie exclaimed in shock, surprising the passersby.

Cloud and Vincent exchanged glum looks before turning to Yuffie. "Keep it down, Yuffie," the former told her.

She turned to Cloud frantically and then collared him, pulling him down so that he could face her properly. His eyes widened in surprise because of her sudden move. "Listen here, Strife! Tiffy's in danger and you don't even sound so concerned?!" she demanded.

"Well what do you want me to do? Cry?" Cloud demanded impatiently with hints of sarcasm before he pushed Yuffie away from her. Yuffie jumped over to Vincent and collared him too, "And you too, Valentine!" she demanded.

Vincent just stared at her blankly. "Well. We all are worried about Tifa… but I trust that she's in good hands if she just went with those people." He explained.

"Besides, Tifa can judge people properly, from what I know, at least." Cloud reassured them.

Yuffie let go of Vincent and rushed to Cloud again. "But Cloud!? Wht if Tifa is in danger?!?!?"

"CALM DOWN, WILL YOU?!" Cloud exclaimed impatiently. Too much stress from before had been suppressed from deep inside of him that he is cutting off his patience and he could not even hold his temper for a much longer time unlike before. People all turned to them, surprised at Cloud's sudden reaction.

Vincent gestured towards the ShinRa Mansion. "I think we should just go inside. People are really beginning to think that we're having a quarrel here…" he trailed off when he saw two people staring at him from one corner of the street.

Cloud and Yuffie noticed that Vincent suddenly fell silent and that his eyes widened in awe; they followed his gaze and it led to two people: a tall man with silver hair tied loosely in a ponytail and a woman with brown hair in a high ponytail.

Cloud's eyes widened in disbelief upon recognizing the tall silver-haired man. "It…it can't be…" he stammered.

Yuffie looked around and noticed that people had dispersed. "Well, this area is really secluded. Nobody really likes the ShinRa Mansion anyway," she thought silently to assure herself that those people did not just disappeared like it was a ghost town or something.

"Lucrecia," Vincent began as he took a few steps going to her, but eventually ended up running to her.

Lucrecia smiled happily as tears fell from her eyes; she ran to Vincent with open arms. "Vinny!" she said happily as she finally was able to embrace Vincent tightly but lovingly.

"Lucrecia," Vincent whispered against her hair with tear-stained eyes. "God, if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up anymore…" he thought silently as he let his tears fall.

Cloud stared unbelievably at Vincent and Lucrecia, then to the silver-haired man. 

Yuffie's eyes were wide in awe as she stared at the silver-haired man. "Sephiroth…" she had managed to say.

Cloud frowned at Sephiroth, but he just smiled calmly at Cloud… and his eyes revealed too much shame and guilt from the sins of his past.

But Cloud is angry at him. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded angrily.

Eventually, it interrupted the moment between Vincent and Lucrecia. They all turned to Cloud and Sephiroth.

"I'm accompanying my mother. She needs me." Sephiroth replied simply.

Cloud looked at Lucrecia, then back to Sephiroth. "You two are supposed to be dead…" he pointed out.

"We _were_ dead." Sephiroth stressed out.

"Young man, why are you so angry at my son?" Lucrecia demanded with a stern look on her face as she scanned the look on Cloud's face.

Cloud has this unexplainable resentment in his eyes as he stared at Sephiroth. He clenched his fists, trying to hold back his emotions; though he could not take them anymore. "You… you… you killed the only person… the only person…" he stammered through clenched teeth.

Sephiroth swallowed hard as he looked down to the ground. "…the only person you've ever loved." He continued for him.

Cloud got his Buster Sword immediately and charged at Sephiroth. "Damn right, you did!" he snapped angrily at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth just looked at him, and to Cloud's wonder, he did not even draw out his Masamune. 

"NO!" Lucrecia screamed for Sephiroth to get out of the way.

But he did not.

Cloud stopped in his tracks, panting as he held on tightly to his sword and positioned the blade against Sephiroth's neck. "What is the matter with you?" he sneered.

Sephiroth just stared down at Cloud. "Go ahead. Kill me now if it would mean making you feel better about Aerith's death. But I tell you this, Cloud Strife… she'd seen enough killings before. She's been watching over you ever since she died… and just in case she is still watching over you right now, are you going to show her another death to make her cry?" he said calmly.

"Stop using Aerith's name!" Cloud snapped at him.

"He is not using Aerith's name; he is just telling you the truth!" Lucrecia told him as she approached Cloud and pulled him away from Sephiroth. "Please, don't do this… not to my one and only son… he's the only one I have left… please. Aerith told me that you have a kind heart… please don't disappoint her." She pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Sephiroth reached for his pocket and pulled out a pink ribbon. Cloud easily recognized the ribbon as Sephiroth handed it to him. He dropped his sword to the ground as he stared unbelievably at the pink ribbon. "She wants me to give this to you." Sephiroth explained to him.

Cloud got the ribbon and gently caressed it with his own hand, staring at it lovingly. He wanted to cry but he is stopping himself. He looked at Sephiroth and Lucrecia.

Learn to forgive. The past is gone; you can't change it.

"Aerith wants me to forgive Sephiroth…" Cloud realized silently. But he just bowed down his head, picked up his sword and ran off.

"Cloud!" Yuffie called out.

But he didn't turn back.


	5. Cloud

-Five: Cloud- 

            From what I can remember from that moment, since I felt so ashamed of myself and also felt guilty, I just ran off continuously until I reached the forest and ended up near a stream. I was crying but I did not stop myself from doing so… after all, no one can see me there.

Shame: because I almost killed Sephiroth and did not even realize that he changed… and harming a beloved son in front of his mother isn't really such a good idea. I should've thought of my actions first rather than acting upon instinct just because I was angry at him for everything he had done.

Guilty: because of the fact that Sephiroth killed Aerith right in front of me two years ago and I wasn't even able to do anything about it but just stare at her as the Masamune penetrated through her body and eventually killed her. I was supposed to be her protector; but at that moment, I wasn't able to.

Two years.

I've had several instances wherein I wanted to cry for Aerith for the past two years… but I would always stop myself. But at that moment wherein I ran away from the others and ended up near that stream, I just let it all out while holding the pink ribbon in my grasp.

I think I sat down there for several hours because the moment I came back into my senses (even though I still had several more tears to cry), the sun was already beginning to set.

Now there was a certain question in my head at that time: "What the hell are Sephiroth and Lucrecia doing here?"

To get an answer to that question, I knew I had to go back to Nibelheim and talk to them about it… and also apologize for acting like a crud.

I looked at the pink ribbon and smiled at it bitterly. And again, another question entered my mind: "How did Sephiroth get this?"

I froze and my eyes just widened in sudden shock; as if my heart stopped beating for a second. Immediately, I got up and hurried back to the ShinRa Mansion in Nibelheim where I supposed they're all inside of that scary old mansion and getting ready for dinner.

I was correct.

But the moment I got the courage to step inside the big house, it was already 7:30 in the evening (according the clock tower of the Church) and they were in the middle of dinner.

Everyone was looking at me from their seats: Vincent, Lucrecia, Sephiroth and Yuffie.

Vincent smiled kindly at me. "Nice of you to join us for dinner, Cloud." He said.

I just stared at them… they must've been staring back at me because my eyes still looked puffy because of crying. Lucrecia motioned for me to sit down on the empty seat beside Yuffie. "Have a seat." She invited.

I hesitated at first but I realized that I was hungry already and I haven't been eating for a day already at that time, so I just accepted the invitation and ate dinner with them.

I was just quiet during dinner while listening to their conversations.

I could tell that Vincent and Lucrecia were catching up with each other for the many years that they weren't together. Sephiroth sometimes joined in their conversation, then would eventually get bugged by Yuffie with her questions regarding himself and his "insanity" and his days as a Soldier and all others. I could tell that Yuffie just made a new friend, like nothing happened in the past.

As for me, I was just staring at all of them… and I guess they all noticed it.

"How are you, Cloud?" Lucrecia asked. She sounded so motherly… and I realized how much I missed my own mother.

I hesitated for a while before answering, "I'm fine."

"Are you okay there?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah." Was all I could say.

"So, what have you been doing these past two years?" Sephiroth asked me.

I was silent for a while before replying, "Just roaming around and doing odd jobs for people I don't even know. I haven't been here in Nibelheim for a while but because Yuffie and I were looking for Tifa, we just ended up here in hopes that Vincent might know something about her whereabouts."

I saw Sephiroth and Lucrecia exchanging glances and somewhat sly smiles before turning back to me. "Don't worry about Tifa, Cloud. She's in very good hands."

I was quiet for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what they are trying to say… but then I remembered my questions from the stream. I spoke up, "Don't mind me asking, but why are the two of you here?" 

Silence.

"People deserve second chances, don't they?" Lucrecia asked.

I just stared blankly at them.

Sephiroth turned to me. "Don't think of it as paying for the sins of our past. Just think of it as if we are like lost souls with unfinished business here in this Planet. Like me, for example, I wasn't able to know my mother. Now that I'm with her, I swore to always be by her side, never leave her, and to help her." He explained.

"I don't get it… does it mean that after you guys have fulfilled your 'quests' here, you'll go back to the Lifestream again or something?" Yuffie asked with a perplexed look on her face.

"No. We can stay here until our right time comes. It's just like a second life," Sephiroth replied.

We were all silent for several minutes. Vincent was looking at me, as if trying to read the look in my eyes. I wanted to ask a certain question, but I suddenly did not have the courage to do so. All I could do at that moment was look at the pink ribbon that I had tied around my right wrist so that I could always look at it and remember the beautiful girl who once owned it.

I think Vincent was able to guess my thoughts, so he was the one who asked for me, "You're the only ones who came back?"

Sephiroth turned to Vincent. "Four of us." He replied simply.

Yuffie, Vincent and I suddenly froze. 

Four.

Lucrecia laughed. "The other two aren't President ShinRa and Hojo, don't worry." She assured us.

Vincent and Yuffie both sighed in relief.

"Well, who are the other two?" I asked them.

Sephiroth just smiled calmly at me. "We're not supposed to reveal our identities unless we have found our purpose in this life. I have found my purpose. Mom found her purpose. We revealed our names to you guys. As for the other two… they're the ones with Tifa. I can assure you that she's in good hands with those two… especially the other one." He raised his eyebrows at me, Vincent and Yuffie.

Lucrecia just smiled and giggled lightly.

Vincent, Yuffie and I were confused… I could tell from their facial expressions. Who are those two other people?

Hmf… Better not be Tseng or President ShinRa or Don Corneo or Hojo…

            Later that evening, I was in my room that Vincent had provided for me in the Mansion. I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about the two others with Tifa.

From my bed that was beside the window, I turned my head to the side so that I can see the stars. "Aerith…" I whispered softly as I held the ribbon tightly in my hand…


	6. Aerith

-Six: Aerith- 

            Tifa noticed that Eris suddenly looked up at the stars as they sat around the open fire with Red.

"Again," Red pointed out.

Tifa turned to Red. "Again, what?" she asked, wanting him to elaborate.

Eris kept on staring at the stars with a gentle smile on her face.

"Eris keeps on looking up at the stars." He told her before throwing a leaf at Eris to interrupt her "moment". "Hey, clouds don't fall from skies so stop wishing at those stars that they would do so!" he teased.

Eris made a face at him. "You're just jealous." She mocked before she sat down properly and just stared at the fire.

"I can't understand why they didn't let us buy those Chocobos or even lend us one… and now we have to sleep here in the forest grounds and eat sweet potatoes… and that was already a month ago and they still can't let us have one." Red muttered miserably.

"At least we have something to eat," Tifa pointed out with a cheerful look on her face.

"You sound pleased," he told her.

"I should be pleased! There are several other people out there with nothing to eat… at least we have something here to be thankful for… and having companions like you and Eris is also something to be thankful for because it's not good to be alone in the forest at night." She replied.

Red shook his head in disbelief. "How the hell can she still remain optimistic despite our situation right now?" he thought silently.

"Well, we could just head for Junon and ask for a ride to Nibelheim in case we cannot have Chocobos to ride." Eris suggested. She giggled.

"What's so funny?" Red asked with a frown on his face.

"Oh nothing… I just remembered the person whom I love the most… he reminds me so much of a Chocobo because of his hair." She replied while still giggling.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Reminds you of a Chocobo?" she asked with a ridiculous look on her face.

Eris nodded happily and dreamily. "Oh, he's the most adorable creature I've ever seen!" she said sweetly as she blushed.

Red rolled his eyes. "Oh God… here we go again…" he muttered miserably.

"Is she always like that?" Tifa whispered as she moved closer to him. He smiled at Tifa. "Not really… she just misses him." He replied.

"Why? What happened to him?" she asked.

"I… I don't know." Red said with a hesitant look on his face.

Eris began to play with her own hair with a gentle smile on her face. She spoke up but she kept her gaze at her own hair as she brushed it with her fingertips. "What about you, Tifa? Don't you miss someone?"

Tifa was surprised by the question.

Red just rolled his eyes before he leaned back against a stump behind him.

"Well… for one thing, I miss my friends…" Tifa replied with a sad smile on her face.

"Why?" Eris asked.

"Well, I haven't seen them for two years already… except for Vincent. He just lives in Nibelheim. Cloud is roaming around. Yuffie's in Wutai. Barret is out there somewhere taking care of his daughter, Marlene… Cid's back in Rocket Town… and Aerith…" she trailed off.

Red examined the look on Tifa's face.

Eris stopped playing with her own hair and her gaze traveled to Tifa's direction. "Who's Aerith?" she asked.

Tifa sighed heavily as she slouched and lowered her gaze to the ground. "I could say that she's my best friend." She said softly.

Red and Eris stared at her for a few moments before the former spoke up, "Best friend?" 

Tifa turned to Red but she did not answer immediately. "It was too late when I realized how important she is. She's… gone." She explained.

Red just shrugged and crossed his arms. "Hmf… never had a best friend before…" he said.

"Why?" Eris asked.

"I grew up with a very secured and closed atmosphere around me so I really don't socialize with too much people… besides, my Old Man wouldn't allow it." He explained mindlessly.

"Old Man?" Tifa asked as she looked at him.

"My father." Red elaborated.

Tifa nodded her head. "I see…" she said softly before hugging her knees closer to her and resting her chin on them as she sighed heavily.

Eris looked up at the stars again as a cool gentle breeze began to blow. She smiled gently. "Cloud," she whispered.

Tifa looked up at her. "Huh? You're saying something?" she asked.

Red's eyes were wide as he looked at Eris, as if giving her a warning look.

Eris just shook her head and leaned against a tree trunk behind her before she closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep.

Red eased up a bit before turning his gaze to the fire.

Absentmindedly, Tifa turned her gaze to Red and continued to stare as if adoring him. She has this dreamy look on her face and she did not even notice that he was already looking back at her with a perplexed look on his face. "What are you looking at?" he demanded with a nasty tone.

Her eyes widened in embarrassment when she realized that she had been staring at him for a long time already. She just looked away, her face as red as a tomato. "N…nothing." She replied sheepishly.

He snorted before turning away from her.

"Why are you traveling, Red?" Tifa asked mindlessly, keeping her gaze at the fire.

"I'm looking for some people. I have to gather them again to claim what is rightfully mine." He explained.

"And what's that?" she asked.

Red was silent for a few moments before answering, "My family's honor." Tifa watched quietly as he raked his fingers through his hair, attempting to brush back all the blonde locks falling loosely before his eyes, but they all end up going back to cover some parts of his forehead. "Damn…" he muttered angrily.

Tifa's eyes widened at him. A few glimpses of Red with his hair brushed back for a few seconds made her realize something: "Gods… he looks like Rufus ShinRa…" she thought silently, her heart suddenly beating faster than usual.

Again, Red turned back to her. "You have a gel or something?" he asked.

She blushed again and looked away. "N…no, I don't have any gel." She replied with a weak smile on her face.

Red noticed that she was really blushing. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you sick or something?" he demanded.

She shook her head quickly. "N…no. I'm not." She tried to act casual as she looked at him. "You know, if you're having a hard time with that hair, why don't you sprinkle some water on it and then brush it back?" she suggested.

He thought for a while before replying, "There isn't a stream around here… I think I'll just let it be for now."

She just smiled at him. "It's your choice," she said.

Silence.

"You remind me of someone…" she told him.

"Who?" he asked mindlessly.

She shook her head. She wanted to say out loud, "You remind me of Rufus ShinRa. I've always thought that he's cute but I never really thought of it seriously until this moment when I saw you fixing your hair." But she just shut up, afraid that he might just snap at her impatiently for talking such nonsense.

"Red," she began.

"What?" he muttered. "What's wrong with this girl?!" he thought silently, noticing that she has been bugging him with several questions and saying several things about anything under the sun to him ever since the past few weeks that they had been together.

"What about Eris? What is she looking for?" she asked.

"She's looking for her old boyfriend so that she could be with him again." Red muttered miserably before closing his eyes.

Tifa just kept quiet before deciding to just lie down on the ground and sleep there.

            They set out early the next day so that they could arrive in Junon earlier than expected. At around 11 in the morning, in Junon, they were already stuck in the checkpoint. 

"What's your business here?" The person in-charge demanded stiffly.

Tifa had recognized the guy easily: it was Reno, one of the former Turks… or maybe he is still a Turk but working at the checkpoint.

Reno stared at the three, examining them from head to toe. "Hmm… these stooges look awfully familiar." He thought mindlessly.

Eris was looking around. "I thought ShinRa's gone… how come Junon still has checkpoints?" she asked out loud.

"ShinRa's still here but not as strong as before… if you know what I mean. And since Midgar's really a big dump now, Lady, we just maintained this old military base." Reno explained with a rather rude tone as he snorted.

Eris took a few steps away from Reno and just stood behind Red.

"Well… we're just wondering if we could get a ride from here to Nibelheim?" Tifa asked with a weak smile on her face.

Reno stared at her for a few seconds before finally realizing who she is. "Hey, aren't you the one from AVALANCHE?"

Silence.

"Formerly from AVALANCHE." Tifa corrected.

Reno turned to Red. "And why are you going to Nibelheim?" he asked.

"We live there." Red replied stiffly. He was still thinking, "Should I just stay behind here or go with Tifa?"

Reno turned to the other guard inside the guardhouse. "Three people to Nibelheim." He mentioned.

The guard checked first on the computer before replying. "Ship's gonna leave in five minutes. It only needs one more passenger."

Reno turned back to the three. "Only one of you can ride. This is the last trip for this month. We won't be having trips to Nibelheim after this because we lack funds." He explained.

"You lack funds?" Red demanded with a frown on his face.

Reno wondered why the blonde guy sounded so concerned about Junon's current state. "Yeah, we do. Why? Gotta problem with that?" he demanded.

"ShinRa is the richest family there is, and you lack funds?" Red demanded rather impatiently.

"Well I'm sorry but we don't know where the other ShinRas are so we had to stick to our own funds to keep it running!" Reno said sarcastically. "Now, who among you's gonna head for Nibelheim?" he asked impatiently.

Red just turned away from him and flipped his hair before facing Tifa and Eris.

Eris had this sad look on her face, her hands clasped together in hopeful prayer. "But… only one of us?" she asked.

"No choice. Two of us can stay behind here and wait until the next opportunity to go there." Red replied.

Eris bowed down her head before turning to Tifa with a gentle smile on her face. "I'm sure you miss your home… you can go." She said.

Tifa's eyes widened in disbelief before turning to Red in case he would protest. He just stared down at her coldly. "You go ahead. I don't care. I'm staying behind to take care of some things here." He told her.

Tifa thought for a while. It was a hard decision to make, but finally, she gave up. She patted Eris's shoulder. "I'm sure someone's waiting for you in Nibelheim. I'll let you go ahead," she said.

Eris's mouth dropped open. "Wh…what?" she asked in disbelief.

Tifa chuckled lightly before embracing Eris. "You remind me so much of my best friend, Aerith… I wish she was still here. I'd do the same for her. As for you, I hope you find your beloved there. I'm sure he's been waiting for a long time for you and he loves you very much," she whispered softly.

Eris smiled softly before hugging Tifa back. "Thank you very much, Tifa…"  She turned to Red. He just nodded his head to her as farewell.

Tifa and Eris let go of each other. "Take care," Tifa said.

Eris smiled happily at Tifa before turning back to Red. "Take care of Tifa, you hear?" she said.

Red just rolled his eyes. "Just leave." He muttered miserably.

Eris giggled before embracing Red. "You're being silly again." She said.

"I've found my purpose. It's in here." He told her in a whispery tone.

She just smiled at him before letting go of him and patted his shoulder. "That's what you think." And took a glance at Tifa.

Tifa was wondering why Eris was looking at her, and then back to Red. "We were sent back here to search for real happiness. I'm going to Nibelheim to meet him now. I'm sure Lucrecia is with Vincent right now… and Sephiroth's been happy with his mother… and probably, he finally has someone to call a father: Vincent. What about you?" she asked before she took a few steps backward, still smiling kindly at Red. With that, she turned away from them and went past the gate going to the Pierre, leaving Tifa and Red there.

"Eris!" Tifa called out.

Eris stopped in her tracks and turned back to Tifa with a curious look on her face.

Tifa waved goodbye.

Eris smiled gently at her. "It's _Aerith_." She corrected before she finally boarded the ship.

Tifa's eyes widened upon hearing the name. "Wh…what?" she stammered. She looked at Red, but he had his gaze focused at the ShinRa logo, so she thought that he wasn't listening. She just bowed down her head. "Must be my imagination… Aerith is dead…" she thought silently.

Reno interrupted the two. "And the two of you, what are you still doing here?" he asked.

Red turned to Reno with a cold look on his face, making him shiver. Reno's mouth was slightly open as he stared in disbelief at Red. "Man… he looks… like… President Rufus…" he thought silently.

They were interrupted when Heidegger suddenly came to them. "Gyah… Reno, go to the Turks' Office." He commanded.

Reno did not say anything more; he just followed the order. Heidegger picked up something from the guardhouse before muttering out loud, "Damn, ShinRa's falling apart!" 

Red, upon hearing that, just held Tifa's hand and murmured, "Let's go someplace else," as he led the way.

Tifa was surprised at first, but she just followed, feeling the warmth of his hand against hers. She smiled slightly and blushed, but had managed to just turn her head away so that he wouldn't notice it.

Heidegger stepped out of the guardhouse but he stopped on his tracks upon noticing the two walking away. He stared at the blonde young man. "Rufus?" he asked out loud in awe.

Red heard the name but he did not look back. He just lowered his gaze to the ground as the cool sea breeze began to blow against his face.

"Something wrong, General Heidegger?" the guard asked.

Heidegger just shook his head in disbelief. "Nah… it can't be him…" he thought silently before walking away, back to the main building.


	7. Locked Heart

-Seven: Locked Heart-

            A week after Eris had left for Nibelheim, Red and Tifa just decided to go back to Kalm. The journey going to Kalm wasn't as stressful as before, but she had been noticing something different about Red: he had become so quiet and would always appear so distant… like there were almost always other thoughts in his mind.

She did not dare talk to him about it because she felt afraid that he might get angry at her for being too nosy.

Upon arriving in Kalm, they went straight to the inn, and just when Tifa was about to think that he's going to only get one room, he got two. One for her and one for himself.

She was even wondering who would pay for all of his credit card bills.

She wanted to tell him that she's worried about the expenses, but as usual, she would just shut up. She couldn't tell him her true feelings about everything and how she misses her old home.

She had been traveling with Red for more than a month already but she still thought that he was still so distant… like there is no chance for her to get much closer to him.

One time, she gathered enough courage to tell him one evening during dinner, "Do you think we'll be stuck here in the East Continent for so long?" she asked.

"If we don't find a way to get to the West Continent." He told her. "How did you get here in the first place, anyway?" he continued.

"I rode a ship from Costa del Sol to Junon, then rode the train to Midgar. The trains and the bridges from Nibelheim to this continent are still under-construction. They're making those trains and bridges so that we wouldn't have to bother riding ships." She explained.

"Problem is, Junon is having trouble with their funds so they really have to cancel all the trips to any of the places in the West Continent." He pointed out with a blank look on his face.

She stared at him for a while before saying, "But we can just go back to Junon and live there for a while so that if ever the trips can resume, we can always leave, right?"

He looked at her. "I can't go there." He said.

"Why not?" she asked.

He bit his lower lip and just turned away. "I just can't." he muttered.

Tifa knew that something was really wrong with him. "Red, is there something wrong?" she asked.

He was just silent.

She frowned at him as she leaned forward. "You let Eris ride the last ship instead of you riding it. What's up with that?" she asked.

He just ignored her before calling the attention of the waiter. The waiter approached him; with that, he handed his credit card.

The waiter got it and went off to the counter.

"You know what, you guys are really beginning to creep me out… first there's Crecia and her son Seth… then Eris who's almost always smiling and day-dreaming about her beloved whosoever he is! And then you?" she asked in disbelief.

He just stared at her blankly. "You really don't understand it, do you?" he asked calmly.

"No, I don't. And I demand an explanation now." She said stiffly.

"Why are you so mad at us?" he asked.

She blinked unbelievably at him. "I'm not mad at you!" she said.

"You sound like you are." He pointed out.

She just kept quiet, frowning at him.

"I'm not ready to go back to Junon. I still want to stay here with you." He admitted with a sad look on his face before he got up and left her alone there with a frustrated look on his face.

Tifa's eyes were wide in disbelief upon what she had heard from him. She suddenly didn't know what to do… and she suddenly felt afraid. 

She was about to leave when the waiter approached her, "Excuse me ma'am, your companion left his credit card." He said.

Tifa got it. "Thanks, I'll just give it to him if I find him," she told him reassuringly before she left the restaurant. She was already walking down the street going back to the inn when she decided to read the name on the credit card. What she saw had shocked her and made her want to cry… though she stopped herself.

_Rufus ShinRa_

            "So there, I told her already…" he thought silently.

He gazed up at the moon and the stars from his window and sighed heavily. "So what if I'm back here… I am confused. What good is a second life if you still don't know where you're going?" he thought silently.

He had been weighing the pros and cons of taking any of the two paths that he would be choosing in the end. He remembered the advice given to them by the Lifestream at it spoke to them before: "_You can only choose one. Be sure to choose the right path or end up making the same mistake again. You will not be given another opportunity anymore_."

He envied Lucrecia for knowing the right path to choose already even before Lifestream had given them that advice: to look for Vincent Valentine and express to him the love she has been suppressing for such a long time already; while at the same time, become a good mother to Sephiroth.

He envied Sephiroth for knowing the right path to take even before Lucrecia had made the decision: to stay by his mother's side and make up for all the wrong things he had done in the past.

Most of all, he envied Aerith for knowing what she wanted in life: to be back in Cloud's arms and love him, while he in return would love her back.

"Everything concerns love… but how come my path is different?" he thought silently with a disappointed look on his face.

_To get back what is rightfully his: his family's dignity… including the wealth and the power_.

He told them that; and they all stared at him in disbelief. The looks in their eyes revealed to him what they thought of his decision: "How selfish."

"So what if there's no love in my decision? At least I can live on my own without anyone else but me, myself and I… and of course, my money." He used to think at that moment…

Until she came.

He pounded on the windowpane, more confused than ever. His conscience was already nagging him, "You should've just stayed behind in Junon and did not worry about this girl's safety! Damn you!"

He clenched his fists in annoyance with himself.

The night before Sephiroth and Lucrecia had left for Nibelheim to find Vincent, he had a little talk with them:

_"So have you decided already?" Sephiroth asked him._

_"I'm sticking to my decision. I'm rebuilding my empire." He told them._

_Lucrecia__ shook her head sadly. "The world cannot compare to what the heart can provide for you," She told him._

_He just kept quiet. "I don't get what you mean." He lied._

_So she just kept quiet too._

_Sephiroth__ patted his shoulder with a gentle smile on his face. "This may sound stupid… we guys think that this is stupid… but… follow your heart."_

_He just laughed at what his friend had mentioned. "But if you follow your heart, it will just make you suffer. I'd rather use my head than rely on emotions." He said._

_"Right." Sephiroth had a sarcastic look on his face._

_He just frowned at Sephiroth. "Besides, I've always been like this so why change it?" he asked._

_Sephiroth__ and Lucrecia just exchanged quiet glances. With that, they left without saying another word._

"Rufus,"

At first he didn't know whether he should move or not. It was Tifa's voice. His frown deepened while thinking, "How did she know?"

Tifa was standing by the doorway, holding the credit card in her hand. "You left this." She said softly.

He slowly turned around to face her with a cold look on his face. She stared at her for a while, examining the way she looked. He could tell that she had been crying, but he doesn't know why…

She tried to avoid his gaze on her as she closed the door and slowly approached him. 

He saw that she was holding his credit card, but he tried hard not to show his surprise upon seeing it. "She knows… because she saw my name… but if I deny it…" he stopped his thoughts before he started to speak out loud to her, "What did you call me?"

She handed him the credit card. He grabbed it from her and placed it inside his wallet.

"I called you _Rufus_." She told him with a voice that seemed to falter.

"What if I tell you that I'm not Rufus and I just stole it from him?" he asked her.

She looked up at him with a hurtful look on her face as she clenched her fists. "Please don't start denying…" she said stiffly, but her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

He just kept quiet for a few moments, not knowing what to say.

She placed her hands behind her back. "So that's why it's _Red… because __Rufus means _redhead_." She said with a light chuckle; it was obvious for him that she was faking the smile and the laughter. She looked up at him. "Funny. You don't have red hair." She said._

He just stared down at her.

She smiled bitterly. "Well… red is the color of aggressiveness… it suits you well, Rufus…" she mentioned with a shy look on her face. She seemed like a timid high school girl with a crush on the most popular guy in school… and she knew it. She laughed uneasily. "I'm sorry… I sound foolish… I guess… I guess I should just leave…" she said weakly as she looked away from him and turned away, hoping that he wouldn't notice the tears in her eyes.

Oh, the price that you have to pay with a locked heart: afraid for love to fade before it can come true… so you end up hiding and keeping everything inside.

She started for the door, thinking of just leaving him there for good and just go on her own to Junon or someplace else away from him. She couldn't possibly let herself love someone like him… besides, she was already too afraid to love someone in fear of losing them.

But before she could open the door, he stopped her by running after her and hugging her from behind. "No," he pleaded.

Her eyes were wide in confusion and were also shining with tears that were ready to fall. She released the doorknob and clenched her fists as she trembled slightly.

He tightened his embrace around her. "Please, no… don't..." he whispered against her ear.

It all made sense to him now… 

But she was still confused… until she noticed that he was also crying.

"Why didn't you tell me who you are at the start?" she demanded stiffly.

"I'm sorry… I had to lie… we all had to lie: Lucrecia, Sephiroth, Aerith and I… it's for our own safety. We can't afford to let anyone interfere with our purpose in life… but they let you know right? Aerith told you the truth before she left for Nibelheim, remember? Lucrecia mentioned that she's looking for Vincent. Sephiroth is Lucrecia's son… Tifa," he stammered.

She pushed him away. "No… you're Rufus ShinRa! I _hate _you! My life is ruined because of your family. Our lives… Lucrecia, Sephiroth and Aerith… our lives were all ruined because of your family! _I hate_ _you_! You're better off dead!" she screamed angrily at him before she ran off, leaving Rufus there, all stunned and still crying. He fell on his knees on the floor, weeping and regretting being what he is. "Tifa, don't leave me!!!" he called out in a desperate attempt before sobbing. He tried to stand up but his knees felt so weak that he just collapsed to the floor.

"Please don't leave me… I love you…" he whispered softly, hoping that she was still there so that she could hear him.

But she was already away from the inn… going away from Kalm. She kept on running until she felt so tired and so weak and when her heart couldn't take it any longer, she just fell on her knees in the middle of the empty road.

Under the moonlight and the starry night, she sat there all alone, weeping.


	8. Love Is My Decision

-Eight: Love Is My Decision-

            Five months later, she was able to return to Nibelheim. She went straight to her house and just stayed inside for seven days.

However, upon learning that Cloud, Aerith, Vincent, Lucrecia and Sephiroth were just around the little town and residing there, she decided to pay them visits, hoping that socializing with them can make things better.

In no time, she was back in her old self again: hiding all her sorrows behind her cheerful smiles.

            "How did you manage to arrive back here?" Aerith asked with a concerned look on her face while she and Tifa were strolling down the streets of Nibelheim together one late afternoon. 

"I had to go to Junon and wait." Tifa replied.

"Oh my… how long did it take?" Aerith asked.

"Around five months or so… can't think clearly during those times, you know?" she replied.

"Why?"

Tifa shrugged. "I just had a confused mind… you know, you guys are back and living normal lives as if nothing happened before…"

"…where's Rufus?" Aerith cut her off with that question.

Tifa was quiet for a few seconds, not knowing how to answer. Aerith noticed the sudden silence and uneasiness in Tifa, but before she could ask why, Sephiroth just came running to them. "Hey!" he called out with a happy look on his face.

Tifa found it weird to see Sephiroth looking so happy. 

"What are you girls doing here?" he asked.

"Just walking around town. What about you? I think you should go back to your mommy." Aerith teased.

"Very funny, Aerith," he said sarcastically before continuing, "Say, mom and dad would like to invite you plus Cloud to dinner at the Mansion tonight. It's just a special occasion since it's dad's birthday." He said.

"Dad?" Tifa asked in awe.

"Vincent." Aerith whispered to her.

"Oh… I see…" Tifa stammered, feeling a little bit ridiculous. She knew she still had to get herself used to the fact that Lucrecia is already Vincent's wife and that their son is Sephiroth.

"We'll see you later. You can go now." Aerith told him as she shoved him away from them playfully.

"Hey, what's the rush?" he demanded.

"Girl talk. So scram." Aerith replied with a stern tone but she was still smiling at Sephiroth.

"Well how come whenever Cloud and I would be talking, you'd also butt in? Oh yeah, and before, you would also butt in my conversations with Rufus!" he pointed out with a joking tone.

She giggled. "Don't be ridiculous, Sephiroth. Just leave us alone here for a while." She said.

Sephiroth laughed at them. "Yeah, whatever. Well then, I'll see you later." He said before winking at them and then ran off back to the ShinRa Mansion.

"He acts and sounds different compared to the way he acted before…" Tifa told Aerith.

Aerith giggled. "We all changed in a way or two…" she pointed out.

Tifa just nodded, suddenly remembering Rufus.

"_I heard that no one's ever seen him bleed or cry…"_

Those were Aerith's former words.

But she had seen him cry.

Aerith noticed the sudden disappointed look on Tifa's face. "Tifa?" she asked.

She just shook her head as she thought silently, "He's just too selfish… all he wants is his family's wealth and that's it. What does he know about loving a person anyway? He's a ShinRa,"

Aerith sighed heavily. "I think you should just go back to your house and rest. You look tired." She finally said.

Tifa just nodded her head and smiled cheerfully at Aerith. "You're right… well, I'll just see you tomorrow." She said before she finally left.

Aerith knew that Tifa wouldn't be attending the celebration later on so she just tried to think of an excuse to Vincent and the others. "I'll just tell them that she's not feeling well and she doesn't want to be disturbed while she's resting." She whispered softly. She turned to the other direction but stopped upon seeing a tall blonde man with blue eyes blocking her way. She looked up at him in disbelief, but upon recognizing who he is, she smiled. "Rufus," she started.

He smiled at her. He was wearing his old clothes: the usual white stuff we all know. But he had two suitcases beside him.

"Hey, Aerith," he greeted.

She looked down at the suitcases, then back at Rufus. "You're on vacation?" she asked curiously.

He just shrugged. "I don't know if I'll call it a vacation…" he replied with an unsure look on his face. She just smiled at him. "How's everything in Junon and in Midgar?" she asked casually.

He shrugged again with a pleased expression on his face. "Everything's stable now. Everything's being fixed ever since I returned but…" he suddenly couldn't go on.

Aerith understood. "I see," she patted his shoulder gently. "There's gonna be dinner at the ShinRa Mansion tonight because it's Vincent's birthday. I'll see you there later." She told him before she turned to go.

"Vincent?" Rufus asked with a perplexed look on his face.

Aerith turned back to him with a sweet smile on her face. "Lucrecia's husband and Sephiroth's new father." She explained.

He nodded. "I see… well then, are you Mrs. Strife now?" he asked with a teasing smile on his face.

She giggled. "Soon, Rufus, very soon." She winked at him before she waved goodbye and went to the other direction leading back to Cloud's house.

Rufus sighed heavily as he looked around Nibelheim. Everything still looked the same from what he could remember from his own childhood. His smile faded slowly as he began to think of where to go first… and finally decided after a few seconds only. With that, he began his way around Nibelheim in search for a certain house.

He asked for directions from some townsfolk and eventually, he arrived at the said house. It looked small compared to his old home, obviously… but he didn't really mind. 

He knocked on the front door but he wasn't sure if anybody was home so he just decided to go inside on his own. Upon getting inside the house, he placed his things by the doorway leading to the dining area and shut the door. He felt so nervous all of a sudden, but he tried to convince himself that everything would be alright.

"Who's there?"

Rufus immediately turned to the direction where the back door was located. There she was, standing there as she stared at him in awe.

He smiled calmly at her. "Hi, Tifa," he greeted.

She swallowed hard. "Wh…what are you doing here?" she asked.

He walked to her, and as he did so, he wondered why she wasn't even moving. "I have nowhere else to go." He told her.

"The inn is a few blocks away from here. You can go there." She explained flatly as she tried to avoid his gaze.

"My money isn't enough to rent myself a room in such an expensive place." He told her.

She frowned at him. "But… but you went back to ShinRa, right?" she didn't really know how to put her thoughts into words, so she just said that. She was thinking that if Rufus really did go back to ShinRa after she left, he could've just stayed there and forgot about her, and if he would come around her place, he would have to live in another place instead of her own house.

"I gave up everything." He told her.

Silence.

"What?" she asked with a voice that seemed to falter.

He eyed her carefully, keeping his blue eyes on her crimson ones. "Please forgive me," he said softly.

She just stared at him curiously. "What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion as she felt herself trembling slightly.

He didn't say anything more; he just ran to her and took her in his arms, embracing her tightly. 

She just stiffened, wishing that everything was just a dream… but why is she crying?

"I… I can't stay in ShinRa much longer if it would mean another lifetime of loneliness… I have to be with her…" he thought silently.

She shook her head before she pushed him away from herself. "Get away from me! I hate you!" she screamed at him angrily before she ran out of the house again, proceeding to the streets of Nibelheim.

"Tifa, wait!" he called out as he ran after her.

            She kept on running again and as she did so, tears fell from her eyes. She just stopped by the well to catch her breath because she really felt so tired. She wondered where she would be going next, because she did not really want to see Rufus.

She is not ready to accept the fact that she has feelings for a former enemy. She was so ashamed of herself for doing so, and yet who can blame her?

Or maybe she's just so stupid and too jaded to think.

"What is happening? Why is he here? Does it mean that he gave up ShinRa or he ran away or something?" she thought silently as she wiped her tears away, but before she could run off again, she stopped when she heard familiar laughter from behind her.

"Gyahahahahahahaha!"

She immediately turned around and the moment she did so, there was Heidegger with the Turks and some ShinRa Soldiers. Her eyes widened in awe at all of them.

"It's the former AVALANCHE member." Heidegger pointed out.

Tifa swallowed hard as she frowned and clenched her fists, although she realized that she wasn't wearing her gloves. "What are they doing here?" she thought in panic.

"Where's President Rufus?" Heidegger demanded.

She froze. "Wh…what?" she asked in disbelief.

Heidegger gestured for the Soldiers to aim their guns at her.

She took a few steps backward but stopped when Heidegger threatened to fire if she kept on moving. 

She couldn't hide the fear from her eyes as she stared back at them.

"I ask you again, slut, where is President Rufus?" Heidegger sneered rudely.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" she stammered with a trembling voice, her eyes filling with tears. "Why are you looking for him anyway?" she asked, trying to act innocent.

"He just went off, telling us that he doesn't want to take part in ShinRa anymore. He said something about meeting someone and just staying with that person. Whosoever the hell that person is." Heidegger explained.

She bowed down her head. "Who is that person?" she asked.

"He didn't specify. But he said that she lives here in Nibelheim. He mentioned that he'd rather spend his life without money with her than be with ShinRa." He explained.

She gazed at them blankly. "And you're jealous because Rufus's attention is on this girl and not in the further developments of ShinRa, huh?" she asked mindlessly.

"Are you mocking us?" he demanded angrily.

She turned away from them. "I'm going back to Rufus…" she decided silently with a weak smile on her face as tears fell from her eyes…

But just as she started to walk away, she heard gunshots…


	9. Rufus

-Nine: Epilogue: Rufus-

            The last time that I saw her was that night…

She was lying on the ground by the well, lifeless. Her face was smeared with tears and dirt, and I wiped those away with my own hand. I rested her head on my lap as I stared down at her lifeless form, regretting the fact that I am a ShinRa and she hated me… but one thing I'm sure, I don't regret the fact that I am a ShinRa but given that fact, I was still capable of loving someone like her even she hated me.

Some witnesses claimed that they've seen those people who had killed her.

ShinRa Soldiers.

The more I didn't want to go back to where I came from because of them and all the others who had thought of doing this to her…

No one's ever seen me cry before… that's what everyone knows about me: I don't cry.

But that night, there were several people who were unfortunate enough to see me cry… and I was also bleeding that night: my heart was bleeding for the dead girl in my arms.

            We bury the dead. And when I say that, it would mean that we bury not only the literally dead bodies, but also the dead memories.

The past sins, mistakes and shortcomings we have committed.

We forget them and start a new life.

            Ever since that incident, I just decided to stay in Nibelheim and live there. I don't care what others might think of me: Rufus ShinRa without the riches and all the worldly pleasures that money can buy. 

Everyday, I would visit the cemetery and put red and white roses on her grave.

Of course, I still have my old acquired wealth from before, but I really don't touch it in the bank. I just add up to it with the salary that I get from my new job.

I worked hard as a bartender for three years, earning my own money… and I know it's way different from my former job as the President of ShinRa Electric Power Company… but it's worth it.

I became really close friends with Cloud, Sephiroth and Vincent, and sometimes, I would envy them whenever I visit their homes and see them with their own families and children. I'd think of the what-might-have-been and the what-could-have-been… and end up feeling so lonely and miserable once I get home.

Fine, I changed… but having a change of heart made me realize again the cruelty of life. It's been cruel to me ever since I was born, and now I wonder… when will it be kind to me?

And I realized that life isn't that bad… at least it became better when she came into my life.

The only woman I ever loved…

If only it could get better than this…

*** 

            Rufus was on his way home from the bar one late evening. It had been three years ever since he lost the biggest part of his life.

The cold December evening breeze blew against his face and he slightly shivered at it. Latest news earlier that evening revealed to him that ShinRa finally fell apart. It didn't bother him, to his own surprise. He realized then that he's already satisfied with his current state of living.

He got the key to Tifa's house, the place where he had decided to stay ever since she died, upon reaching the front door. He opened it quickly and then just as he was about to enter, he heard someone speak to him from behind him. "Excuse me,"

He froze as his eyes widened. The voice was very familiar.

He slowly turned around and saw a young woman about his age standing there. She had long raven hair and crimson eyes; and she was wearing a red long sundress with a white cardigan. She was smiling at him lovingly.

_If only the Lifestream could speak to me and give me a second chance, I would know where to go; tell you how much I really loved you and would never leave your side again…_

"I just came from Costa del Sol and… I really don't have a place to stay here. I was wondering if…" she did not go on anymore. 

Rufus instantly ran to her and embraced her tightly, tears falling from his eyes.

She was surprised at his reaction at first, but then she relaxed in his embrace. She leaned her head against his chest and returned his embrace as she sighed in contentment. "I'm home…" she thought silently as she slowly closed her eyes.

He looked down at her. "Please don't tell me that your name is _Tiffany_ or anything close to that, because if you do, I wouldn't believe you." He told her with a stern but joking tone, but he was still smiling.

She opened her eyes once again and looked up at him lovingly. "Of course not. My name is Tifa. Tifa Lockheart." She told him.

With that, he took her hand and led her inside the house after watching the first few snowflakes fall down from the skies down to the ground.

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`

_Winter may be harsh, but it can never freeze the loving heart._

_------_from the poem "Loving the Girl With the Locked Heart" by my friend, Rufus-5. =)

============================================== 

-The End-

Author's Notes: Okay, in case you didn't understand that last scene, here's an explanation: She was also given another chance just like Rufus, Sephiroth, Lucrecia and Aerith before.

This fic is dedicated to my friend Rufus-5. =)


End file.
